I’m trying to get peas and onions planted at the very least. I’d also like to get carrots, broccoli, kale, potatoes, and lettuce in.
This forecast, they may not die, but I can’t imagine it will grow much, either.
Those crops are all cold tolerant. That bit of cold won’t hurt newly planted seeds.
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I realize that, but will they grow? Am I gaining anything planting them now versus waiting a week or two? I just feel like they’re going to sit there and do nothing.
Soil temps are in the thirties.
Plus, the onions are transplants currently under a grow light.
I think seeds at that soil temp would just sit there and do nothing - except possibly rot
I have transplants hardening off now, but can’t see planting them until the soil temps are 10 degrees higher
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I’m just getting a bit frustrated, because I can’t start my tomatoes and pepper seeds until I harden off and transplant my onions, because I don’t have enough room under my grow light.
The only other one I really worry about are the peas. Even in a good year, we go from “too cold to sprout” to “too hot for peas to be happy” in as little as 60 days.
Ha-ha) How about a foot of snow tomorrow when last foot didn’t melt yet - and I do not live in Alaska 
.
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Yeah you have to wait, we are all there. i have onions too, and figs that are so tall I have to remove everything from my grow light set up and adjust the shelves. Soon though I can start putting things outside.
Yup there too. I usually don’t start peppers till the 15th, and I will. I used to start them earlier, but found no advantage. What happened is some plants died on me one year so i started a 2nd round, and because temps were better they soon caught up to the ones started earlier. The cold hurts tomatoes and peppers and sets you back. You could use cold frames and that, but I found the little gain you get and all the trouble of the tomato shuffle in and out of the house was not worth the time and effort.
Onions are tough and like the cold, as long as it’s not freezing they can be outside.
My concern is the onions, it’s something I’ve read about happening, where when transplanted the weather is too cold, and it triggers a “vernalization” where they think they’ve gone through winter, then bolt.
Buy more grow lights!
Maybe low tunnels…plastic. I have a bender and bend my own… they work great early, but if the sun comes out you can easily bake plants inside if you don’t vent it some.
Spousal unit wasn’t happy with the $150 I spent on the first one…
I use cheap shop lites
Pretty sure I started the first brassicas and lettuce too soon - have started hardening them but no idea when I can put them out with the soil temps so low
Thinking I may try to heat the soil with black plastic tarp
I love to complain, so farming is perfect for my disposition. But my priority is fruit, and what fruit growers hate is EARLY springs. Late’s not as good as that rare weather occurrence we call “normal”, but it likely insures a successful fruit crop.
Last year we had late and it didn’t really affect the amount of vegetables much- a decent growing fall made up for it. If I could make a deal to have reliably late springs every year, I’d take it.
I’d complain anyway, but I’d take it. It’s like having your fruit and eating it too. Why give up complaining?
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Hey, if they get it right, even if it’s a bad forecast, be happy!
I was expecting 24 hours ago to be trimming shrubs and eradicating dandelions…instead we have six inches fresh snow…they changed the forecast to 3-5 inches about the time it started snowing!
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Because misery loves company, I’m right with you. I have 4 types of onions, all about one foot tall that are now getting droopy and look unhappy. The 48 lettuces and 25 spinach plants are stuck indoors because I’m worried about the transition out into the 32 degree hoop house. All the brassicas are just not growing with only very tiny true leaves. They haven’t died and look okay, but I think the cold in the garage is keeping them from growing.
Like you said, I have to get something outdoors so I can move the tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers seeding from the heat mat to under the light.
I find this spring seed starting routine one of the hardest things I do gardening. There are so many uncontrollable factors and baby plants seem more prone to injury and death than older plants.
Also, why do all the seed planting dates recommend starting parsley so early. I started my parsley in Feb and they are like 8 inches tall already. Could have waited a few weeks.
Hang in there.
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@growjimgrow I used to start my plants indoors. But didn’t want to deal with the mess inside the house, temp swings, hardening off etc and completely stopped doing that after I found Black Creek greenhouse in East Earl,PA. Now I make two trips there each year. One in first week of April to get cool weather stuff and one in mid May to get warm weather stuff. 4 pack of seedlings cost about a dollar. Amazing variety of plants. Great place. Totally worth the almost hour trip. I’m guessing it’s about the same distance for you. Just wanted to let you know.
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Thanks for the info. I’ll check them out. I could buy seedlings at a box store but somehow that feels wrong.
Unless they have a really huge selection that would never get me more than half the way there. Can’t create a garden to my tastes off the rack. Try finding Sea Foam chard there, or Carmen sweet peppers.
True. It may not satisfy the needs of advance gardeners who have a specific taste or love to experiment. But compared to the big box stores and best of the local nurseries they do have a wide variety. They carry varieties like Black Krim tomatoes. Not the most unusual tomato anymore but compared to the “boy” tomatoes and Rutgers that you see everywhere around here it is a step up.